The usefulness of a household appliance for rapidly cooling or quick-freezing foods and liquids is readily apparent. Presently used mechanical refrigeration technology does not lend itself readily to a household appliance, for example, the size of presently existing household microwave ovens, mainly due to the size requirements of mechanical compressors using freon based systems having sufficiently low temperature capabilities. Other heat pump systems using adsorbents such as zeolites, metalhydrydes or activated carbon material with gaseous reactants are also impractical because of poor refrigerant holding capacities, low power density, etc. and would result in a much larger apparatus having substantially higher manufacturing costs in comparison to those of the present invention. Gaseous reactants such as hydrogen also require high recharge temperatures and pose potential safety risks, unsuitable for household appliances. Other heat pump systems using adsorption and desorption cycle techniques require internal heating and cooling of the reactor bed with liquid heat exchange capabilities, also quite impractical for relatively low cost, household appliance size equipment having suitable low temperature capabilities.